The Thyroid Thread (Part II) - Page 41

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by aliah79

I've also read that taking Armour at night can cause you to have insomnia. That the T3 can cause that and for you to feel hyped up. So now I'm confused again. I've emailed my OB and asked if free T3 / T4 were tested, and if not, can we do that before taking me off the meds completely. I also explained everything else.

I've also had what I consider extreme weight loss - 7lbs in one month while being pregnant seems like a lot to me (total is 20lbs in 4 months, and I'm 3 months pg). I can literally see myself melting away. I'm also hungry all the time, like stomach growling hunger, even though I'm eating every two hours.

I read a bit about Hashi's, but I didn't know switching from hypo to hyper was a symptom. I'll look into it more and ask my OB about it. If we retest for the T3 / T4, maybe we can do it for Hashimoto's too.

Yes I'm sorry I missed that you took it at night... this is true, the T3 will keep you awake. I thought most people take earlier in day? Do you usually take at night?

Thanks JR

[aliah79]

I started taking it at night around 6wks pg... that's also when my hyper symptoms started on the 5gr. Since you're not supposed to take around mealtime, night turned out the be the best time for me since I need to eat every two hours, and I eat shortly after I wake. It's also supposed to be absorbed by the body better overnight... I'm able to get to sleep no problem, but I wake up really early raring to go and can't get back to sleep.

[tink79]

Hey everyone. I have a couple of questions and hoped maybe someone here could answer them or give me some insight. For the past few years I've been really run down, blamed in on having 3 kiddos, anemia and a family history of fibromyalgia but don't have insurance so I only see the doc when I think I might be dying, then it's usually in the form of the ER. In any case, I went to the ER last year for constant tingling in my left arm and they did an MRI while I was there. The doc on call very dismissively said everything looked normal except that there were nodules on my thyroid. So I got home and googled thyroid nodules and it all seemed pretty benign so I didn't think too much about it. But lately I've begun to wonder if I might be hypo (have also put on a couple of stubborn pounds which I can't seem to get rid of no matter what exercise I do or what I eat). When I look at the symptoms list it's like it's written all about the way I've felt for the past few years. I've had a few different diagnoses in the past, PCOS, gestation diabetes and my peri said I probably have an unidentified autoimmune disease (meaning she didn't want to run a bunch of tests but here's a baby aspirin a day to see if this pregnancy succeeds after a couple of losses, and it did after that).

So my biggest question is, what would be the absolute cheapest route to take to get some blood work done and to see where my levels are? I can't just hop from doc to doc, it's not in the budget unless I want my kids to starve.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by aliah79

I started taking it at night around 6wks pg... that's also when my hyper symptoms started on the 5gr. Since you're not supposed to take around mealtime, night turned out the be the best time for me since I need to eat every two hours, and I eat shortly after I wake. It's also supposed to be absorbed by the body better overnight... I'm able to get to sleep no problem, but I wake up really early raring to go and can't get back to sleep.

I had this problem when I tried taking it at night, as well.
The concern with taking it with food is that it doesn't get absorbed as well and that it binds with calcium and iron and becomes unavailable for use (as well as "robbing" your body of these nutrients). I take my medication after I've eaten as taking it prior to eating makes me vomit (which is then rather pointless).
I now take half of my dose in the morning with my breakfast and the other half at night before I go to sleep. This seems to prevent the early morning waking and gives me a feeling of energy in the morning without being "wired" and allows me to have energy through the majority of the day.

[tink79]

subbing.

[aliah79]

Tink, I really don't know... I would say start with TSH, Free T3/T4... If you can find a more holistic doctor, they are more likely to do the tests without arguments. An Endo might help, but I had absolutely no luck with mine and it turned out to be a waste of time and money. Do you have insurance?

[aliah79]

And back to my issues... Doc says FT4 is right on and completely normal. He asked if I'd ever been on synthroid.

I explained to him how TSH can be suppressed in patients already on thyroid support and that the best indicator is the FT4 level. Since that is normal, I would feel better staying on the 3gr. I had a few links with abstacts from studies, hopefully he won't roll his eyes LOL. I don't think he will - he's really cool.

I also said we could switch to Synthroid and see what my FT3 levels are and then add a supplement there if needed. The reason I switched to Armour is because my FT3 was low five years ago. I explained I've always felt better on a higher dose, but hypo on a normal dose.

We'll see where we go from there. I went back to taking 3gr AMA, since FT4 is normal on that dose. I want to be sure baby is safe until we figure everything out.

[tink79]

Aliah, nope no insurance and DD3 is having some health issues that I feel need to be taken care of before I can see a doc so it could be a while. Thanks for your suggestions.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by aliah79

And back to my issues... Doc says FT4 is right on and completely normal. He asked if I'd ever been on synthroid.

I explained to him how TSH can be suppressed in patients already on thyroid support and that the best indicator is the FT4 level. Since that is normal, I would feel better staying on the 3gr. I had a few links with abstacts from studies, hopefully he won't roll his eyes LOL. I don't think he will - he's really cool.

I also said we could switch to Synthroid and see what my FT3 levels are and then add a supplement there if needed. The reason I switched to Armour is because my FT3 was low five years ago. I explained I've always felt better on a higher dose, but hypo on a normal dose.

We'll see where we go from there. I went back to taking 3gr AMA, since FT4 is normal on that dose. I want to be sure baby is safe until we figure everything out.

Are you supplementing selenium? it's been shown to help with T4-T3 conversion.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by tink79

Hey everyone. I have a couple of questions and hoped maybe someone here could answer them or give me some insight. For the past few years I've been really run down, blamed in on having 3 kiddos, anemia and a family history of fibromyalgia but don't have insurance so I only see the doc when I think I might be dying, then it's usually in the form of the ER. In any case, I went to the ER last year for constant tingling in my left arm and they did an MRI while I was there. The doc on call very dismissively said everything looked normal except that there were nodules on my thyroid. So I got home and googled thyroid nodules and it all seemed pretty benign so I didn't think too much about it. But lately I've begun to wonder if I might be hypo (have also put on a couple of stubborn pounds which I can't seem to get rid of no matter what exercise I do or what I eat). When I look at the symptoms list it's like it's written all about the way I've felt for the past few years. I've had a few different diagnoses in the past, PCOS, gestation diabetes and my peri said I probably have an unidentified autoimmune disease (meaning she didn't want to run a bunch of tests but here's a baby aspirin a day to see if this pregnancy succeeds after a couple of losses, and it did after that).

So my biggest question is, what would be the absolute cheapest route to take to get some blood work done and to see where my levels are? I can't just hop from doc to doc, it's not in the budget unless I want my kids to starve.

There may be one of those "order your own" blood draw kits through the Canary Club or something similar for thyroid panel. I had mine ordered through my ND and/or my PCP.

[JaneS]

Stop the Thyroid Madness website has recommended labs you can order tests through.

Here's what I cannot understand about Synthroid and other synthetic thyroid hormone... wouldn't it shut down your calcitonin production by the thyroid if the TSH is shut off and led to calcium problems? Does Armour contain calcitonin?

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by JaneS

Stop the Thyroid Madness website has recommended labs you can order tests through.

Here's what I cannot understand about Synthroid and other synthetic thyroid hormone... wouldn't it shut down your calcitonin production by the thyroid if the TSH is shut off and led to calcium problems? Does Armour contain calcitonin?

... How is TSH tied to calcitonin production? I mean.. Yes, the thyroid produces it, but... Well...
The adrenals, for example, produce way more than one hormone, yes? If you were to supplement one of those hormones (let's say cortisol), does it shut off the production of all hormones from the adrenals? Why should that be the effect of supplementing one hormone which the thyroid produces?

[lil_miss_understood]

Hmmm.... Well, from what I'm reading, calcitonin levels effect TSH levels (higher calcitonin suppresses TSH), but so far I'm seeing no indication of the reverse being true...

Hmm. Okay, there's one now. That's really confusing.
I'll do more reading about it later.

[Theloose]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

Hmmm.... Well, from what I'm reading, calcitonin levels effect TSH levels (higher calcitonin suppresses TSH), but so far I'm seeing no indication of the reverse being true...

Hmm. Okay, there's one now. That's really confusing.
I'll do more reading about it later.

calcium regulation issues related much? How about parathyroid hormone?

[aliah79]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

Are you supplementing selenium? it's been shown to help with T4-T3 conversion.

No, I tried looking through all the supplements I should be taking at one point and just got confused.

Plus I can't afford to take several good quality supplements on a regular basis. My Armour is around $40, plus my test strips, Glyburide is cheap, but it's still adds to it, prenatals, CLO.......ds has to have ergocalciferol, plus both boys need multi-vitamins... nevermind insurance costs and co-pays LOL...

[aliah79]

I thought I read that Armour does have calcitonin somewhere... can'tfind it again though.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by whoMe

calcium regulation issues related much? How about parathyroid hormone?

They are. Calcitonin removes excess Ca from blood stream and stores it, and parathyroid increases it in blood by releasing from storage and bones.

My father has high parathyroid hormone... he has lost bone/teeth and has calcium deposits.

[Theloose]

Originally Posted by JaneS

They are. Calcitonin removes excess Ca from blood stream and stores it, and parathyroid increases it in blood by releasing from storage and bones.

My father has high parathyroid hormone... he has lost bone/teeth and has calcium deposits.

So busted thyroid - not enough calcitonin - high serum calcium levels - calcium regulation issues? If I had time for more than stealing moments at the computer, I'd so look up calcitonin regulation.

[lil_miss_understood]

They're still not running the labs I want. Still not running FT3, just TSH and FT4.

Anyway, not much reference but:
Last test (April):
TSH 3.26
FT4 0.81

This test (yesterday):
TSH 2.15
FT4 0.69

So TSH is lower but so is FT4?
I suppose that's moving in a positive direction but it certainly isn't where I want it to be. I hate that I'm going to have to phone to request an increase again. I always am worried that there's going to be a confrontation at some point because of my last PCP.

[JaneS]

That's annoying JR! What is reference range for FT4, usually you want it in the upper range right? Do you still have symptoms? You are on how many grains now? Did they run antibodies, wouldn't that be important too?